Spirit's Lullaby

by J E Mueller

  “I wish any of those words mattered to me, but they don’t,” I replied tiredly fell back onto the bed once more. The ceiling was at least less confusing. Though it looked like one spot had scorch marks.

  There was a moment of silence before Danny continued, “I’m sorry you didn’t have access to this information sooner, but you do now. You’re in no shape to really learn the spirit form today, but I can help you learn more about the spirit realm stuff once you’ve had a decent meal.”

  “I’m not that hungry. I’d rather learn something now and get rid of a few questions,” I argued.

  Danny stood tall. “Too bad. I’ve been a healer since birth. First the healing, which also includes eating. Then the rest. The dead aren’t going anywhere.” He chuckled to himself. “There’re very much stuck here.”

  “And it’s just such a blast,” Lliam chimed in, annoyed.

  Danny ignored him. “Any others on their way?”

  “No.” Lliam shook his head sadly. “Getting you here was rough enough. The only other one anyone has found is dead.”

  Danny pressed his lips tightly together, his hand balled up into a fist. “I don’t know why they are doing this. We can’t fix the gate! Why are they hunting us?”

  “Mist seems to think Tella can.” Lliam gave a nod in my direction. “If you can get her to Mist you might have some answers. I don’t understand any of these matters. All I know is the demon scum have sunk lower than normal.” Lliam snorted in disgust, shoved himself off the wall, and vanished.

  Lydia came and sat next to me. “So… what's going on?”

  I gave a sad laugh and explained Lliam’s part of the conversation. “So, no more real answers, but I guess we’re in the right spot,” I added before getting up. “Guess we should do this meal thing.” I started to walk toward the door before stopping. “What happened to Marella?”

  “She’s around,” Lydia shrugged. “She got us here, vanished. Brought you here, told Danny to heal you and vanished again. Marella stopped by twice to check in on you but hasn’t actually said anything, so I’ve no idea what her deal is.” Lydia joined me near the door and tugged at my hand. “Food sounds great though, so shall we?”

  Danny fell into step silently behind us.

  Chapter 14

  After a small meal and a quick tour, Danny lead us to the temple. The series of steps were hard on my legs. The journey that should have been effortless for me was exhausting, but I did my best not to show how I really felt. I wanted no, needed answers. So, up and up I climbed. The temple had many small rooms dedicated to various gods and goddesses to worship. It seemed they had the whole country’s worth of deities here. Danny showed us to a room in the far back on the left. It seemed very tucked away and dimly lit.

  Inside were three short pews on either side of an aisle that lead up to a dais with small shrine sitting on a table just barely bigger than it. The shrine was a black igloo like structure with a small opening. On either side of the front were two pillars with spiraling rose gold leaves and flowers.

  “What is that supposed to be?” I asked curiously.

  Danny approached the shrine while we hung back. Without replying he walked to the back of it, picked up a piece, and set it back in place. It was a rose gold gate for the front of the dome. When he touched, it it glowed a soft emerald green. As soon as he removed his hand, the glowing stopped.

  “This is the shrine to the Lady of Silence, often called the Goddess of Wandering Spirits.” Danny carefully touched the shrine again. I watched in wonder as it once more turned a magnificent green.

  “How are you doing that?” I asked, amazed.

  “Doing what?” Lydia asked, confused.

  Danny shrugged. “She can’t see it.” He replied before looking at Lydia. “Those with a connection to spirits can see it change color when one of us touches it. It’s sort of like a rite of passage. The color says what our main talent is. Mine is guiding spirits to their final resting place. For some, it can be tracking spirits. For others it’s helping them be ready to cross. So green, red, and orange respectively.”

  Lydia nodded. “I’m useless here aren’t I?”

  I looked at her, surprised. “You’re not useless!” I countered.

  She smiled at me sadly and gave my hand a squeeze. “This isn’t my area, just like many Blessed things are not yours.” Lydia hugged me tightly. “I’m going to pray, then do some training. Go learn. I won’t be far.”

  I hugged her for an extra moment. “I guess we are really not meant to be in the same faction. Still the perfect team, though.”

  “Of course,” she agreed wholeheartedly, winked, and walked out of the room.

  “That still sucks,” I sighed after she left.

  Danny shrugged. He always seemed to shrug. “Yeah, but she seems like a good friend. I’m sure she understands.” Danny waved me over. “Let’s see what you can do.”

  “It really just glows a color based on what you’re supposed to be best at?” I asked skeptically.

  “Yep!” Danny smiled. “I’ve seen this done several times. The color will also be how your soul appears in the spirit world. We’re not dead, so we look like ourselves bathed in the color of our talent instead of like a ghost.”

  “Does this thing somehow connect to the spirit world?” I walked up to it but still didn’t touch it.

  “Yes,” Danny answered excitedly. “It’s the easiest way to connect with it, but it’s not needed once you learn what you are doing.” He motioned encouragingly for me to touch the shrine.

  Sighing, I lightly touched the surface and watched it turn a deep purple.

  “What does that mean?” I looked up at Danny.

  He shrugged, but watched the glow with great interest. “I have no clue.” For a moment he continued stared at it. “Well, if Mist thinks you’re the one to fix this mess, maybe it has something to do with the color. I actually don’t even know her color. She’s dead now, and I’ve never seen her touch this, and spirit realm things are weird… She’ll know either way. Mist has trained everyone for years.” Danny nodded confidently.

  I studied him for a moment, not sure what was off, but something felt amiss. It was nice seeing him sure of something, though.

  “Okay so now what?” I asked, removing my hand. The purple disappeared when I removed my hand and I marveled at how it even worked. Magic was much too strange sometimes.

  “Well…” Danny replied, pacing. “I’m not sure. I’ve joined in on these activities here and there since I learned myself, but it’s been years since I’ve helped someone new. You at least understand part of where your gift came from?”

  “I know all of it. The old ways to the new, the spirits aiding without knowing their touch can accidentally gift us.” I shrugged. “I don’t know anything about the gate and why the original creators can’t just rebuild it themselves.”

  “They don’t have the power,” Danny replied confidently. “They put some of their own essences into building it to make it strong and nearly impossible to break.”

  “And yet it broke,” I pointed out.

  “Nearly impossible is the key word. However, they had backup plans but I don’t know that information. Only the Keeper of the Gate knows it.”

  “And let me guess, the Keeper is dead,” I sighed.

  “Well, of course.” Danny chuckled. “What good would a living Keeper be? They are charged with the guarding and keeping of the Gate. The demons needed them dead first.”

  “Okay, but…” I motioned vaguely. “Then what? What’s going on. Did they fail to keep it up? What?” I was quickly getting frustrated.

  Danny nodded, motioning for me to continue. “Yes, they failed. We failed to keep the physical gate here in the living realm safe. They failed to keep it safe on their end. The knowledge isn’t lost, though. You can’t kill what’s already dead. So, once we can get to Mist hopefully we can get more answers. If they think you can fix it, I’m sure you’ll give all the answers.”

 
; “And you only were allowed to know part of the answers?”

  With a smile, Danny continued, “Yes. I wasn’t allowed to know everything. Most aren’t in on everything in order to keep the information safe. Which is probably why I’m still alive. What do I know? Everything about helping a spirit cross. I know how to comfort them, how to lead them to the Gate, and how to give them over to the Keeper. I understand the basics of the other jobs.” He hesitated for a moment. “Lliam said you had a chest. A very important one that cannot fall into the wrong hands.”

  “I do, and it’s safe,” I replied, a bit caught off guard by the topic change. “Is there confidential information for the other groups, or only this Gate stuff?”

  “Nah, not really.” Danny shrugged. “There are less talked about topics, but they aren’t hidden so much as useless knowledge.”

  “What could possibly be useless knowledge in this field?” I asked, surprised.

  He thought for a moment. “Creating weapons. Next to no one has the gift. Mist was one of three who could make weapons that could combat spirits.”

  “Why would you fight spirits?” It was an intriguing question since they just passed through you.

  “Angry spirits are a bit more….” Danny clicked his tongue as he thought. “Combative. They have enough energy that they need to be taken down a few notches before they are able to be helped. Spirits can actually do harm.”

  “Oh wow, I’ve never encountered that,” I said, surprised. Probably for the best.

  “They were always on the top of the Trackers list.” Danny nodded. “The ones trained in combat were usually the Hunters. They’d often accompany Trackers.”

  “So, what did you do, then? Sit by and wait for them to bring spirits to you?” That didn’t seem very helpful or fun.

  “Yes and no. I am trained to handle them, but it’s not my area. I’m better at calming with words. If I find someone who hasn’t crossed, I was usually able to talk to them and get them where they needed to go.”

  “So, to the Keeper?”

  “Yes.” Danny nodded. “There’s a lot to learn, but you’ve got the idea. Everyone eventually ends up with someone like me, I bring them to the Keeper, the Keeper sends them off.”

  “How does the Keeper choose where they go?”

  “No idea.” Danny sat on the dais next to the shrine. “The Keeper isn’t much for chatting. I don’t know where they go, but honestly I think they’re in the right place.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “It’s the only gut feeling I am sure about,” Danny replied, shrugged, and resumed his pacing. “I guess since we have the altar we can use that as a way to help you learn how to access the spirit realm, but first we should probably explain what it is.”

  “Where all the spirits are, I assume?”

  “It’s where only the spirits can go. Demons don't have souls, angels don’t have souls,” Danny clarified.

  “How can they all be reborn if they don’t have something like that?” I asked curiously.

  “They are a particular being made up of magics that reforms at a younger state after its physical form disintegrates,” Danny replied.

  How did he even know that? I didn’t want to get sidetracked by asking. “You know, I’m okay with not having all the details on that one. So, how did they destroy this gate then? If they can’t access this realm how can they hurt it?”

  “Now that is an excellent question. They can’t get into the spirit realm as demons, but the gates lead to the other realms. Basically, the Keeper chooses if souls go to heaven or hell. Somehow the demons destroyed what lead to the heaven side,” Danny explained.

  “Didn’t you say there was a physical gate?”

  “Yes!” he replied excitedly. He looked more alive than I had seen him all day. “So, this is where things get weird.”

  “Like none of this is weird to begin with.” I crossed my arms.

  He ignored my remarks and continued. “The Keeper, in order to be able to access the other realms, needs to be tied to this one.”

  “So, what, are they buried at the physical gate? Or were? What?” I laughed. This was strange and confusing.

  “No, the Keeper is alive. Was. It’s a mess,” Danny replied, laughing tiredly as he rethought his words. I blinked, unsure what else to say, so he continued. “Well, the Keeper is supposed to be alive. Sadly, Mist lost the fight while defending the gate. The demons destroyed the one that was here. As soon as she perished she went directly to the spirit gate, but they had already ruined the angel side and were working on the demon side, but she stopped them. With both sides gone they could have taken souls whenever they wanted. With the one still mostly intact, the souls need to go through the Keeper or agree to be taken by the demons.”

  “That… that is a lot of information.” I thought about it for a moment. “How the heck am I supposed to help any of this?”

  “No idea.” Danny shrugged. “Mist wouldn’t explain.”

  “You said the Keeper wasn’t very chatty, but you’ve clearly talked and worked with Mist before,” I pointed out.

  “Yes. She doesn’t talk about her job, and doesn’t talk at all to any Guides while on the job. She will directly talk to the spirits, so there’s that. It’s not fun not knowing everything, but it is what it is.”

  We sat in silence for a moment. My brain wanted to take in everything that had happened and jump to the next stage. Whatever that might be. Honestly, I was already feeling tired. Everything still had a dull ache from hitting that invisible wall and then being comatose for several days.

  “So, what do you know about these demons and that barrier I somehow hit?” I asked, taking things back a few notches.

  “Both sides can make shields. It’s how they used to fight each other. Only the user can see it. It’s a very annoying trick, but you can feel it out.” Danny shrugged as he stared off into the distance.

  “Feel it out?” I motioned vaguely, hoping he’d jump into an explanation.

  He nodded, lost in his thoughts for a moment before turning his attention back to me. “There's a lot of static to it. The barrier shield is no more than five feet long, seven feet high. It’s hard for them to move once it’s in place but it only takes them a moment to remove it and replace it. So, if you get around it you likely don't have much time before the next one drops. For harder creatures, anyway. The super powerful can make it longer, but I haven't felt it any higher. We can phase through it, though.”

  “You’ve mentioned that before,” I recalled with a smile. “How?”

  “By detaching your spirit form from your physical form and using the spirit’s magic to pull your physical body through,” Danny replied as if it was something simple. “It only takes a moment, and it really looks like you’re just passing through the barriers to those outside of the know, but it is more complicated than what the eyes see.”

  “Is there anything that’s not complicated?” I grumbled and leaned back in my seat.

  “Um, not really.” Danny shrugged. “But there are several less complicated things.” He smiled happily.

  “Okay, what's less complicated?” This was going to give me a headache.

  “Well, with most of the newer potential guides we have to go through the process of explaining how they got their gift and why it’s not a bad thing, but you already know all of that,” Danny replied happily.

  “Why is it a good thing?”

  Danny gave me a look that screamed ‘what is wrong with you’ before replying. “Before us, spirits were free to be taken. Many were torn and damaged since their soul hardly had any rest and was consistently forced to join one side or the other. People can’t be reborn as happily that way. They’d need time to heal. While the beginning of our gifts aren’t pleasant, we get a chance to help those who need it. A second life with extra magic, a second chance to do more for those lost and wandering this world.”

  “Okay, that does sound good, but why send any soul to somewhere like hell? T
hat doesn’t seem like an opportunity to grow,” I replied.

  “For some it isn’t. It’s an endless cycle of being there because that is just where they belong. For others it shapes them. They see the wrong, they see the pain, and then they no longer want to be a part of that and can finally start fresh,” Danny answered happily.

  “How?” This all felt like nonsense.

  “Everything comes to an end eventually.” Danny shrugged and glanced at the door with a curious expression.

  I turned but saw no one.

  Danny continued, “For the souls native to this plane, they will continue to go through cycles. The lost souls of vanquished angels and demons that were once human go directly to the gate where the Keeper redirects them to their new home. Souls ready to move on also go directly to the Keeper. Those too confused, lost, angry, and distraught wait for us.”

  “That makes a little more sense…” I nodded, trying to go along with things. “And then the ones not of this world just start over at an earlier stage of their own accord.” I filled in what I knew. “What happens to the souls that gain all the knowledge and experience possible?”

  Danny smiled and shrugged. “Then they are done with this realm and go on to a new one. I’ve no idea what’s beyond ours, though.”

  At least he had a general answer. “What now?”

  He considered my question for a moment, getting up to pace. “From a healer’s standpoint, I think you should rest. There isn’t time for all that extra nonsense though so we can go one of two directions. We can see if you’re healed enough to connect to the spirit realm. If you’re not ready, it just won’t work. After connecting once, it’s never a huge struggle again. Second, we can see exactly what material Mist left for you. I’ve no idea how she knew where to leave them or with whom, but I know you have them so that’ll be plan B.” Danny smiled. “Because I’m sure you don’t care about the reading materials when you can finally check out this other realm I’ve been mentioning.”

  “Well, you’re not wrong so…” I shrugged. “How can anyone tell if they’re ready?”

  “Have you been to another realm before?” he asked curiously.